GodSlayers
by The Rune Reverend
Summary: Sonic, Silver, Shadow, and Amy Rose: siblings taken from their simple lives and drawn into a world of war torn conflict, political intrigue, and discrimination against them for sins they never committed. At the center of the turmoil, their only saving grace is their love of each other: A family of honor, dignity, and great power.
1. Chapter 1

**"GODSLAYERS"**

**Author's Note: This is something of an AU Sonic story. In it, Sonic, Shadow, Silver, and Amy are siblings drawn into a world of political intrigue, war time conflict, and discrimination for sins they never committed. It's a mix of all Sonic universes, so expect plenty of familiar faces to pop up in places you might expect and some you might not. Hopefully, at the end of the day, you'll enjoy it regardless. Have fun.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Sonic the Hedgehog character or related property.**

**XxXxXxXxXxX**

**Chapter One: Charle's Message**

All the world changed for Charles Hedgehog with the simple knock on the door. Looking up from his workbench, it took a moment for his eyes to adjust after he yanked the welding goggles off his head; even longer for his mind to adjust to the time and surroundings. A glance at the clock confirmed that he had worked past noon. Was it really after lunch time? The older he got, the more it seemed time slipped away faster than ever.

"The kids are still out." he noted, moving away from monitors and instruments to approach the front door, wary at the presence the knock itself. Not the soft rap of a neighbor coming to call, for certain. Neighbors were at least thirty miles apart out in the edges of the Great Barren. Life was harsh and cruel, but Charles's privacy was second to none and frequent electrical storms made traditional communications useless. A house call was the only way to reach Charles.

He pressed his aging eyes to a periscope by the door, the other end of which was safely hidden from the prying and unaware. In response, his eyebrows lifted and a gasp escaped his lips. He took a moment to swallow the lump in his throat; he would have just as soon been gut punched.

"Come in." He hit the toggle beside the periscope and with a loud electric buzz the door swung open , letting a robed figure in with the dusty, barren wind at his back. No sooner inside and then the door sealed them off from the hellish environment—and not too quickly for their tastes.

Charles approached as the figure drew back its robe and cloak and discarded the garment as though the Barren were clinging to him like a stench. Unencumbered, his black-and-white tail came free with an anxious twitch and a lone eye-the only survivor of the two-took in his surroundings for a brief moment-as old a habit as the straight-backed soldier had ever had-before settling his host.

"Charles."

"St. John." Charles greeted him with an arm's grasp and a thump on the shoulder, "You dirty dog, this is no place for a Sunday brunch. What are you doing here?"

"Trust is what brought me here." The middle-aged skunk said with a note of distaste. "The trust that my message will be delivered and received."

Charles clucked his tongue awkwardly and nodded, "Come into the den, Ian. It'll be more comfortable and I'm sure you want something to drink."

Ian smiled a grim grin, "Nothing better."

Charles moved them from the foyer of his workshop to a sparsely furnished study with little more than an aging computer set to one side, a well worn fridge on the other, and a number of cushioned chairs well past their prime given their condition and aging fashion statement.

The light blue hedgehog grabbed a half-empty bottle and waggled it, "I save this for just such an occasion. Only for old friends, though." He remarked as he poured the potent drink into a small glass.

"Only friends, eh? Then why serve one to me?"

"Out here I can't afford to be picky, I suppose." Charles and Ian gave short laugh and raised their glasses, downing together.

"What news, then?" Charles asked, their pleasantries, such as they were, at an end. "A message from the Royal Strike Force isn't normal."

"No, Charles, and believe me I'm no more thrilled to be playing the errand boy than you will be to hear the message I have for you."

Charles swallowed, "You know the message then?

"No, it's sealed, but knowing you as I do and knowing the situation at the Palace, the content isn't hard to surmise." He reached into his pocket and produced a small disk, roughly the size of his palm. "I'll leave you."

"No need." said Charles, with a deep sigh, "I think I know what it is and you know the answer is no. I know how important my work is to King Acorn, but I prefer my life out here, just me and my kids."

"Far be it for me to criticize a man's preferences," Ian said, lifting his eye to his surroundings, "Though my own preferences run a little less...dreary."

"Home is home and out here I can do what King Max needs without the need for the Palace red tape. The electrical storms keep the Emperor's scouts from flying over and it plays havoc with their magical senses. Out here, I'm left alone by friend and foe alike and I'm happy with it."

"So be it." St. John shrugged, with not a hint of sympathy, "I'm not one to judge, but you don't have to justify anything to me. Best hear the message for yourself." With that, the skunk pushed himself out of the chair and disappeared into another room, leaving the message disk on his chair. Charles stared at it for several moments, each one longer than the next, as dread crept its way up his spine. He stroked his mustache thoughtfully, the graying hairs a testament to a lifetime spent serving other's needs instead of his own. He asked for so little for his himself, but the monarchy wanted to take the only thing he had left: his independence.

A life out in the Great Barren was no easy task, but his solitude and secrecy were worth the effort.

And then there were the kids.

XxXxXxXxX

"Come on! I'm wa-a-a-a-ting!" Tall, teenaged, and with a wry grin, the cobalt-furred Sonic the Hedgehog balanced himself precariously on his hand, upside down on the peak of a sharp rock outcropping. As soft lightning flashed overheard in the perpetually stormy sky of the Great Barren, he heard a soft BANG from his right. With a quick shove, he thrust himself into the air as another BANG to his left materialized a boot swinging for his face.

Letting gravity take its course, he bellowed, "HA! SLO-MO!" and began to surf on the barren stones down the rocky precipice, a sheer drop so heavily slanted it was almost entirely vertical. In front of him, a sudden BANG was proceeded by a small flash of a black arm and a white glove as they came swinging at his midsection, but a deft lean back saw him sliding knee first under the swing and back onto his feet.

"You emailed that one!" He cried, leaping into the air and hitting the ground at a rate of speed that defied belief. Dashing with the wind itself, he wove in and out of the barren, rocky canyons and jutting crags that comprised the landscape of the Great Barren.

BANG! A swing missed his left shoulder.

BANG! A foot almost smacked him in the face.

He leaped a third BANG, this time an attempt to sweep his legs, but unable to help himself, he sprang off his hands and spun in the air over his phantom attacker. It proved his undoing as a BANG above him saw a hand snatch him by the ankle and use his forward to momentum to swing him forward and smash him into the ground. His incredible speed saw him grind into the dirt and leave a rut extending halfway into the horizon, at the end of which he came to a rest and coughed a mouthful of dust into the air.

BANG!

His ghostly assailant materialized out of thin air in a flash of black fur and stared down at Sonic, His midnight, crooked, backwards quills reaching into the air rather than towards the ground, as most hedgehogs. A tuft of white fur on his chest and red stripes down his quills made him a stark contrast to the cobalt blur now resting on the bottom of the Barren dustbowl.

"Faster." The black hedgehog said in a gravelly voice, "But not smarter, Sonic."

Sonic spat a mouth full of dust out, "Says you, Shadow. Smart enough to sneak your girl Jenna out from under your nose."

Shadow's grimace tightened, "You KNEW she was my date."

"Yeah, well, I answered the door and you didn't."

"I couldn't hear the door on the other side of the house."

"You couldn't hear us playing suckface in the hallway at school, either."

Shadow glared down at Sonic with a snarl, but had no comeback.

"Can I help it if she finds me more charming and fun with than you? I mean, what were you planning on doing with your date other than eat a box of rocks so she can sound like you?"

Shadow's fist came crashing down towards Sonic's face, but the nimble hedgehog rolled out of the way.

With a BANG, Shadow vanished from where he stood and reappeared behind Sonic, already in mid-swing, but Sonic again dodged him with a deft sidestep. Sonic spun around with a roundhouse kick, but Shadow had already vanished and reappeared behind Sonic to shove a hard foot behind Sonic's knee and drive him down. Shadow wrapped his arms around Sonic and the two vanished together in a BANG! A moment later, they reappeared over a thousand feet up in the air and began dropping like stones.

"Not cool, Shadow!" Sonic cried, flailing his arms to try and reach Shadow, "Mondo not cool!"

A slim grin crossed Shadow's face as he held himself just out of arm's reach. "Why don't you see if you can flap your arms fast enough?"

"I can flap my fist across your face!"

"I thought you liked going fast. Right now you're the fastest hedgehog falling to meet the ground. Let me know how that meeting turns out!" And with that, Shadow left with a BANG and Sonic swore under his breath as the ground came rushing up towards him.

"I'm gonna run a rut in his room when I wake up from the coma." Sonic swore, closing his eyes as the ground swelled in front of him.

He slammed his eyes shut and waited. The wind stopped rushing in his ears and his lunch went from the bottom of his shoes up to the back of his throat. The only sound he heard was the soft rumble of the distant thunder and the dull whistle of dusty wind blowing across the Great Barren.

Sonic opened his eyes and found the ground had halted its imminent rush and instead of falling down, he appeared to be falling sideways. Arms outspread, he floated a few feet above the dirt and towards an earthen pillar, upon which stood the reason for his salvation.

He spun himself around in mid air, still floating, but able to resituate himself upright, where he spun his legs uselessly in midair. "Come on, Silver. Set me down."

"And lose? You only wish I was as bone-headed as you."

Sonic looked up. Standing on a small outcropping stood the silver-furred hedgehog, his silver bangs jutting upwards worse than Shadow's quilld. One arm outstretched, fingers spread towards him, the other hand holding two fingers to his temple. It was a mystery why holding his fingers to his temple helped to initiate his unique gift to levitate objects, but as with all their unique "talents" there were certain quirks to their usage. Shadow could grab someone and teleport them, but if caught by the wrist or waist, he couldn't teleport out of the hold. Sonic himself tended to use his speed sparingly or risk burning through a pair of sneakers almost daily.

Silver held Sonic in front of him, letting him float, readying his feet with several back-and-forth swings. "No smart alec remarks before I win?"

Sonic nodded and aimed a finger at Silver and said, "Bang."

BANG!

Shadow came flying out of his teleport, his leg already arching in a massive roundhouse kick. Silver had to drop Sonic and hold his hand up, fingers spread, to block Shadow's attack. Sonic hit the ground and quick-dashed at Silver, who turned back, crossed his arms, and thrust them outward with a great cry "YAH!" He expelled an invisible, concussive force that radiated outward and sent Sonic and Shadow flying backwards.

Shadow teleported behind SIlver, but Silver didn't duck in time to avoid Sonic's flying tackle. Sonic flew into Shadow and Silver and the three rolled on the ground together. Silver levitated them just above the ground, rendering Sonic's speed useless, but Shadow had him by the arm, trying to teleport. Unfortunately for him, Sonic had Shadow by the ankle. For the moment, the three of them gave a small, futile struggle until the realization sank in that they had arrived at an impasse.

Sonic laughed. "This is going nowhere fast."

"Stalemate." Shadow scoffed.

Silver chuckled, "I'm just gonna float us over Devil's Ravine and drop you two in."

"Uh oh." Shadow said, looking around, "Has anyone seen Amy?

A great shadow blocked what little of the sun managed to leak through the clouds and the three hedgehogs glanced up to see a massive boulder the size of a troop carrier bearing down on them as it arched into the air.

"BEAT FEET!" Sonic cried. Silver dropped them and Shadow took both of them into his arms as he took off with a BANG just as the boulder dropped where they were standing. It crashed, broke, and tumbled off into the distance.

BANG! The three hedgehogs appeared on a small rocky cliff, right behind a short hedgehog with soft, pink quills hanging down just off her shoulder. She wore only a dingy white shirt with a pink heart in the center and a short black skirt that stopped midway up from her knees. She held a boulder that had to weight several hundred pounds above her head, scanning the ground below her .

Sonic yelled, startling her into turning around, "Amy, how many times do we have to tell you we don't play Punch-Tag with you?"

"You're too strong." Shadow said, arms crossed as he glared.

"And its unfair because you can break every bone in our bodies with a single hit." said Silver as he used a small push to toss the boulder out of Amy's hands.

Amy scoffed and put her hands on her hips, "Well, *I* wanted to play Gutter-Snipe, but noooo, you guys have to play slap and tickle with each other-as if I can't take a punch in the face."

"Hey, it's mondo not cool to do that to girls." Sonic said, "I don't care how strong you are."

"Well, you guys suck." Amy pouted, kicked at the ground. "I didn't feel like sitting at the lab again, helping Uncle Chuck move heavy equipment or watching him build stuff I don't understand."

"Yeah, Silver said, shaking his head, "Me neither."

"Third." Shadow snapped his fingers, "How about a game of Frack-Tackle?"

Amy shook her head, "Nah, I don't have clean underwear. Anyone up for Crab-Dangle?"

"I'm still picking rocks out of my teeth from last time." Sonic said, "What about Sucker-Duck?"

"Again?" SIlver complained, "My no-no parts hurt just thinking about it. I'd rather play Dog-Down again."

"No! No! No!" The chorus from everyone else settled the dispute that a rousing game of Dog-Down was not in the cards.

"It's getting late anyway." Shadow commented, "I say we play Go-Home-And-Eat."

"That's a game I can get behind." Sonic said. "Anyone up for chili dogs?"

"As long as you don't make them." Shadow said, "The only game we'll play then is Blow-Chunks." Shadow teleported just in time to avoid a rock tossed at his head.

To be continued ...

**Well, what do you think? There will be more sibling hijinx next chapter and Charles will find out what's inside the message. Drop a review and tell me what you think. I always welcome a good critique.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Charles exited the den with a glowering look on his face. He saw Ian St. John waiting patiently by the door. "Tell him I accept. I don't...I don't like it, Commander, but it seems I have no choice."

Ian returned a somber nod, "The Kingdom needs you, Charles. Diplomacy is holding together a bridge of peace that's made of sticks and mud when it needs to be made of concrete and steel. The first unwary foot tread on that bridge and it will fall. The borders already see army's massing, placed strategically."

"Sssh!" Charles held his finger to his lips, "I'm certain of my security, but why take the chance. Don't talk about top secret-"

"Nothing top secret about it, Charles. You've been holed up in the armpit of Mobius for too long. The Kingdom is at the verge of war with the Imperials and you may be the mind who helps fend off those dogs once and for all."

Charles sighed, his shoulders falling down, "I don't want my kids at the Palace. It's no place for them. It does things to good furs, Ian. I don't want to see them exposed to that lifestyle."

"No offense, Charles, but do you really think they're going to stay here forever? I'm not one to tell a man how to raise his children, but my Geoffrey was practically out the door by the time he was fifteen. Out here, what are they doing with their themselves besides wishing they were somewhere else."

Charles looked solemnly out the window and knew the truth of Ian's words. "They keep going to Tarber Village every chance they get. I keep hearing Urbantropolis brought up whenever they think I'm not listening."

"At the least they'll be safe and taken care of in the Palace." Ian said, "Provided a high education."

"I teach them." said Charles, "Their educations doesn't get much higher."

"I could argue all day, Charles, but trust me when I say they'll find far more to do at the Palace than just toss rocks at each other or kick dirt around. or whatever they do around here for kicks. There's more at stake than your need for privacy."

"I've already served my Kingdom once."

"Then it shouldn't be too hard to serve it again." Ian's hard tone set the argument at an end, "I'll report back to the King with your answer. You have one week to set your affairs in order."

There was no arguing with the Commander, Charles knew him well enough to know when the conversation was at its end. The skunk donned his hood and cloak and was out the door without another word. Charles shut the door behind him and none too soon as he fell onto his knees in the middle of his workshop, head hung low, as tears began to sting his aging eyes.

XxXxXxXxX

Commander Ian St. John marched into the bitter, dusty wasteland that Charles had made his home and cursed at the thought of the return trip. He hopped onto his speed scooter and aimed it down the barely known trail that led back to Urbantropolis in the distance. It would take a good three hours to reach it and by then he would be ready for a long soak in a hot bath just to get the feel of this place off of him.

An hour out, he was weaving through the high walls of Devil's Canyon when he felt a chill up his spine and turned, looking up just as a vast shadow looming over him swooped down. The last thing Ian St. John saw was the teeth.

XxXxXxXxX

"What the hell is that?" Amy's voice said in Sonic's ear, as she clung to him as he ran at top speed. Sonic broke out of his focus in running to follow Amy's eyes to the distance.

"It's Devil's Canyon." Sonic said, unimpressed.

"STOP!" Amy cried. Sonic brought himself to a skidding halt, kicking up a dust cloud in his wake. Amy jumped off his back and made a few steps in the direction of the canyon as Shadow materialized behind her and Silver floated softly to the ground.

"What's wrong?" Shadow asked.

"Amy's seeing things." Sonic said, "Clearly, her female hormones have gone to her head."

"What'd you see?" Silver asked.

"Stop being such a worry wart." Sonic replied, "You always worry too much. Always with the questions. It's like the Mobian Inquisition with you."

"Shut up! I'm serious, I saw something near the rim of the canyon."

The four of them watched for a moment. Sonic began tapping his foot impatiently, "I'm gonna turn into a grandfather at this rate, Aimes. Just what-WHOA!" Sonic nearly fell back on his feet as a great grey-blue shape rose up from the canyon rim and into the sky.

"It's a dragon!" said Amy, breathlessly, "A real life dragon."

The four hedgehogs were dumbstruck for a moment before Silver pointed and cried, "Hey, it's heading for Uncle Chuck's house!"

"Can't be. What's a dragon want with our house?" Sonic asked.

"Uncle Chuck works for the King." Shadow said, "Haven't you ever wondered why we live out in the middle of nowhere?"

"I just figured he likes the _beautiful_ scenery." Sonic said, sweeping his hand across the barren, desert landscape.

"You're a total dolt, Sonic." Said Silver, "Its cause the Imperials wouldn't think to look for Uncle Chuck in the middle of a desert full of thunderstorms. Didn't you pay attention in class?"

Dragons are Emperor Nagus's personal scouts and assassins. If there's one out here, heading for Uncle Chuck's house, then it's either looking for Uncle Chuck or going to kill him."

Amy gasped, her hands shooting to her mouth, "We've got to warn Uncle Chuck!"

"Warn nothing!" Sonic said, kicked the ground, "No ugly scaled beast is gonna threaten MY uncle and MY home. I'm gonna have a chat with this dragon and get to the bottom of this."

Sonic blasted off towards the vanishing form of the dragon.

Amy looked to Silver and Shadow, "Well? Are we going or is Sonic going to fight that dragon all by himself?"

Shadow looked to Silver, who looked more unsure than confident, "This is suicide. But maybe we can talk to it or something. Dragons are supposed to be intelligent creatures."

"Uncle Chuck always says to try diplomacy first." Silver argued, "It might just be passing through."

"But its headed straight for our house!" Amy said.

"Standing here and talking about it won't solve anything." Shadow declared, snatching Amy and Silver in his arms before vanishing entirely.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Dinner's Bad News**

When the door finally opened in the basement entrance to Charle's home, he barely registered it. His mind was still awash in despair and resistance to the news. Unable to believe the turn of events, he placed the massage disk again, watched its internal processors respond to his DNA and played the holo-image of the middle-aged squirrel wearing a royal blue uniform and wearing the small, golden band across his brown. From his old friend came words he wished could be taken back.

_"Your Kingdom needs you again, Charles. You cannot continue to aid us from afar. This is no longer a request. I am appointed Julian Minister of War and upon your arrival, announcing your appointment as Minister of Science along with a long overdue knighthood for your past and future service to the Kingdom. I know you love the children you adopted and I'm anxious to meet them for the first time, but for more reasons than I can name, you are hereby ordered to the Royal Palace to assume this mantle. Charles, don't make this harder than it already is. I would honor your request for privacy if it weren't for the direst of circumstance. I look forward to seeing you again, old friend. Safe journey."_

The message disk closed and Charles thumb slid over a red button and slid it down and held it for three seconds. A rapid beeping indicated the destruct mechanism was activated and Charles calmly tossed it into his trash bin where it sparked and smoked for a moment.

He was dimly aware of the kids sneaking past his door. Best to give his a little more time.

"Kids."

Amy, Sonic, Shadow, and Silver poked their heads out over the door frame. As one, they noticed his somber look, but said nothing.

"Kids, go wash up. I'll have dinner in a few minutes."

Their response was a mumbled one, but he didn't notice. Going through the motions, he moved to the kitchen and began to prepare a meal, thinking about how to tell them, hardly noticing their usual bickering.

XxXxXxXxXxX

"Try diplomacy, you said." Amy scoffed, "Dragons are intelligent, you said. Well, I disagree."

"Something was very, very wrong." Shadow growled, his scowl carved into his face, "That dragon...it..."

Amy looked back at her brothers. "Are you guys sure you're alright? Sonic?"

Sonic gulped and nodded, but holding up his hands she saw they were shaking badly, covered in slick fluid. "Sonic, go jump in the shower."

Sonic nodded, wordless, mute for once and for that Amy was glad. When she looked at Silver, his head hung low and his brow furrowed, troubled. "Was it right?"

"What choice did we have?" Amy asked. She looked at Shadow, who met her gaze with a hard glare of his own. 'We didn't have a choice. Uncle Chuck...the dragon...he...he..." Tears welled up in Amy's eyes and Shadow reached over to embrace his sister, thankful her soft sobs drowned out the hard lump he had to swallow to maintain his own composure. "I'm sorry." He heard her mutter.

"I'm not." Shadow replied. He met Silver's gaze, who looked for all the world like he wanted to crawl under a rock, "We should all wash up. Remember, we did the right thing."

"I know." Amy wiped her eyes, "I know, but I feel so terrible. It feels...wrong. We _killed_ that dragon."

"I think perhaps that's the best thing. I don't think its something we're supposed to enjoy. Come on, sis. You're the strong one here. Don't wimp out on us now."

"That's so unfair." Amy said, sniffling, "But you're right. I'll be okay. Go ahead and wash up like Uncle Chuck wants."

Shadow nodded, but after a moment, said, "I just can't believe that his stupid..._Sonic Spin_ maneuver worked. I knew he could cut through rocks, but...I'd have never dreamt..."

"Sssh. Come on, we're dwelling on it. Let's just leave it be and we'll figure out something after supper."

XxXxXxXxXxX

Supper turned out to be a quiet affair as the usual bickering and chatting gave way to awkward silence as Sonic, Shadow, Silver, and Amy all found themselves unable to muster any pleasantries. Thankfully, they were the only ones who noticed, as Uncle Chuck seemed as lost in his own thoughts as they were in theirs. Only the sound of silverware on platters accompanied their meal.

When their meal was over, no thanks were given or exclamations of food quality were given. Uncle Chuck looked up after he had stared at the remains of his meal for the longest minute of his life. Sonic and Silver stared at their plates; Amy could only stare at her hands as they twiddled, and Shadow's cross look gazed out into a place only he could see.

No more running from his duty, it seemed. Better to just tell them.

"Kids, I've got some news."

Wordlessly, the four hedgehogs turned their gazes up at their beloved Uncle. His heart broke to see their long faces. They had to know, he figured, to look so down.

"While you were away, I received a message from the Palace. His majesty King Acorn has given a royal order that I return to the Palace. I'm sorry, but we're moving to Mobotropolis." There. The fault lied entirely on the King's order. He wanted them to know this wasn't his choice or desire.

Their silence continued, but dour looks turned into ones of surprise as their eyes lifted in surprise.

"I'm sorry to take you away from our home, but the King is an old friend of mine and he values my work. Now, he's bringing me back to work in the Science Ministry, so we'll have to live IN the Palace. Someplace bigger with better furniture. A place better suited to teenagers than out here. We'll have a lot more space and you three can each have your own room."

"Good." Shadow said, "You try sleeping above Sonic after chili-dog night."

Sonic made a rude noise, "Can I help it if I have a healthy digestive system?"

"You could try not exercising is so much." Silver laughed.

"Thank you for letting me have my own room." said Amy, rolling her eyes, "You guys are bad enough while you're awake."

"Kids, please, just stop for a minute. This is a big change. It's not going to be the same once we get there. The Palace houses the Royal Family, the Royal Guard, dignitaries and emissaries from other kingdoms and nations that the Acorns are allied with. It's not the Great Barren and you can't go blasting around without thinking or caring what you affect."

"What're you saying, Uncle Chuck?" Sonic asked, "What, we need to wipe our shoes before we come in or something?"

As always, Shadow was ahead of his brother, "He means we can't use our powers."

"Whu...what?" The breaking tone of Amy's voice almost broke Uncle's Chuck's heart, She looked down at her hands as if they had suddenly brought her bad luck.

"Kids," Uncle Chuck shook his head, "When I discovered what you were capable of, I wanted you to have the chance to grow up without anyone persecuting you because of them. I know the Great Barren is dreary place to live and I know that you four have been dying to go into Urbantropolis more often. Sonic, I know you've been buzzing around the streets at night."

Sonic's ears drooped and his hands found a comfortable place by his knees. "Little obvious?"

"Sudden gusts of wind on the weather reports in the morning give you away." He tapped his head, "This noodle isn't overcooked just yet. But Shadow is right. When we live at the Palace, you kids shouldn't use your abilities."

"Uncle Chuck, we're old enough to handle people picking at us for our powers."

"Picking at you isn't what I'm worried about, Silver. Son, people fear things they don't understand. If they discover what you kids can do, they may fear you. And people hate things they fear, however unreasonable it may be. Fear makes otherwise smart people irrational and in groups, that fear can turn to something worse. I hate to say, but it could put your very lives at risk."

"Well so what if other people don't like us for our powers?" Sonic complained, "Isn't the King your friend?"

"He is, but he also has to do what's best for the Kingdom. Having people turning against him for harboring you kids is the kind of political nightmare that Max despises. He prides himself on knowing everything he can and being able to make an intelligent decision on a whim. He isn't fond of...surprises."

"Then why not tell him about us?" Silver asked, "How long do you think we can do this without them finding out?"

"As long as we have to!" Uncle Chuck snapped, his hands slamming on the table. The four of them seemed to shrink under his gaze, so he sighed and apologized, "I'm sorry, kids. The truth is that I don't want to go, but the King ordered me to accept the Ministry position. In a few years, you kids will be on your own and, well, I can't boss you around anymore. The way I see it, if you put up with this for a little while, you can go where you want when you're old enough and you can do as you please. But I warn you: people aren't as understanding as I am. I can't...I don't know what King Max would say if he knew."

Uncle Chuck's words hung heavy in the air between them. Suddenly, what made them unique was a liability, a thing that other people might fear.

"Promise me." Uncle Chuck asked, his clasped hands begging them, his eyes pleading, "Promise me you won't use your powers in front of people. I trust you. It's other people I don't trust."

XxXxXxXxXx

"Mondo bogus to the millionth power." Sonic muttered as he lay awake that night on his bottom bunk. Above him, he could see Shadow was still awake. His brother tended to hang his leg over the side of the bed. It swayed back and forth, which normally put Sonic to sleep easily. "No speed. What am I gonna do if I gotta go as slow as every other slo-mo walking around?"

"I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do if I can't get away from your endless mouth."

"Do you really think people would hate us enough to try and hurt us?" Silver worried.

"As if anyone could possibly harm us." said Shadow, "What good is a man with a sword against us? Sonic is too fast, I can vanished before they can swing, and you can simply halt the blade with a thought. Amy would just smash them to pieces."

"It's not us I'm worried about." Silver said, "Maybe they can't hurt us, but they can hurt Uncle Chuck. He doesn't have any powers, unless you count that brain of his."

"Oh yeah," Sonic groaned, "No way will I let anything happen to Uncle Chuck."

"So we noticed," said Silver, "We saw what you did to the dragon."

"No fair!" Sonic complained, "What was I supposed to do? That thing was mega ticked off! I don't like thinking about it, but no way was I letting it near Uncle Chuck."

Shadow's leg stopped moving, "We're not blaming you, Sonic. But if people knew you could do that to a dragon, they'll start to wonder what you can do to a person."

"Shade, you scare me, bro. I'd never hurt another fur like that."

"Neither would I. But like you said, the dragon was coming for Uncle Chuck. I don't consider myself a violent fur, but if I knew someone were threatening you or Uncle Chuck..."

"Or Amy." Silver added, "She might be strong, but she can't hit someone who maybe knocks her out from behind and more than I can."

Sonic was silent, waiting for Shadow's leg to start swinging back and forth. By the time he finally fell asleep, Silver was snoring softly, but Shadow remained awake. Through his mind eyes, he kept hearing the words that he had said: "If I knew someone were threatening you or Uncle Chuck or Amy."

It was a sobering thought to try and imagine what one was capable of in the defense of what he loved. The more he dwelled, the more he began to think on the things he would do and that was a well from which his mind drank deep. He breathed deeply, quickly, giving in to the darkest portions of what he could dream up. In the end, he had to blink and shake the thoughts from his mind, but he was satisfied that should the need arise, he could make a choice that his brothers could not.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

At night, the home of the Hedgehogs was far from quiet. Aside from the ever present rumble of thunder outside, the workshop thrummed with powered technology and computers, the air conditioning system pumped an ever flowing stream of soft, cool air to keep their life in the Great barren at least a little bearable. Their floors were a soft sandstone, pliable enough to make a home, yet resilient enough to resist the winds. A fresh coat of protective coating to the outside walls was applied every two or three years to prevent sandstorms from eroding their home away, but otherwise they were nestled safely within a small crevice in a rocky outcropping, high above the common floor of the rest of the Barren wastes. They had running water and never needed for food so long as Sonic could run to town or Shadow could teleport there.

The sandstone floors were swept often, but still managed to be a little dusty and slightly sandy. Chuck's feet shuffled from one end of the kitchen into the other, leaving a soft "Swish, swish" sound in his wake.

Sleep wasn't going to claim him this night, not for another few hours at least until the exhaustion wore him down. Change in the form of a scientific variable or unexpected discovery was easy for him to digest, but emotional change was something else entirely. Emotions were volatile and subjective and he had never liked dealing with the emotions of others. Probably one of the reasons he had remained a bachelor for so long. Committing so much of his emotional wellbeing to the emotional well being of someone else had led to disaster. He could process calculus and identify biological compounds by their molecular components, but women? Feh.

His work tended to take all his attention anyway and with his appointment as Minister of Science, his time at home was about to go back to the time he spent in his dorm room during his college days. The kids were going to have to fend for themselves far more often, but they were of an age to truly branch out onto their own.

In the kids hallway, he saw a soft light coming from under Amy's door, a flash that matched the rumble of thunder outside. He opened the door softly and found Amy sitting by the window, the curtains thrown aside. She stared at her hands, gloves lying on the ground. In the light, she was a beautiful young woman coming into her own, but in the pit of Uncle Chuck's heart, he knew what he had to say to her.

Entering with a soft knock, she turned her attention to him as he shut the door. "Can't sleep, Princess?"

Amy just rolled her eyes, "Uncle Chuck, I'm no princess. Unless you count Princess of the Rocks or something. What kind of princess has hands like this?" She turned her palms up to him and he saw what she meant. Her hands were rough, calloused, with dirt stains seemingly engrained into the crevices of her fingerprints. She did have a point, those were not the soft, dainty hands of a princess.

"Well, you'll get to meet the Princess when we arrive and compare. She's a nice young woman, so I hear. But that's not why I came in here." He sat next to her by the window, taking her hands in his.

"Where we're going, Amy. The Palace. Its different than out here."

"I figured that, Uncle Chuck. Probably less dusty."

He smiled softly, "Yes, well, it's different than just the aesthetics. It's what's known as culture shock. Girls in the palace, even girls who are daughters or cousins of lower dignitaries like me, are different than the girls in Urbantropolis. In the Palace...well, it just has an effect on girls. It's hard for me to say exactly what, but there's a lot more conniving and sniping and stuff that girls your age are good at doing."

"I can handle myself, Uncle Chuck." Amy said, balling up her fist.

Chuckle laughed and lowered her fists down, "I know you can. If only it were that simple. You have to be strong, but not here," He touched her fist and then pointed to her heart, "You have to be strong here, or those girls will hurt you in ways no fist or foot ever could. Your brothers might pick at you, but you know deep down they love you. Some girls will call you names or tell you something and hope that it cuts you in half."

Amy nodded, trying to imagine being told something that could hurt her, but couldn't conjure anything. "How do you know?"

"I saw a lot of this behavior when I worked at the Palace, years before I adopted you youngins. Women who worked around me and so forth. I experienced it myself, too. In the Palace, the Guard are the most numerous presence. They're everywhere, have access to places others don't, and they thrive on their ability to protect. They're also not big fans of use science-types."

"You mean they like fighting?" Amy smiled, only hearing his comment about "Ability to protect" "Then maybe I need to join the Guard, then."

"No!" Chuck started, "Remember what I said about your powers. It doesn't matter in any event, the Guard is off-limits to women. It's an ancient rule that a lot of people disagree with, but most of the Kings feel that doing away with it would cause more problems than it solves, so they just accept it as a royal tradition, something that shouldn't be changed."

"Stupid." Amy spat her tongue out in a raspberry.

"I was subjected to a lot of bullying in my time there. We science types aren't admired much until our contributions start letting the Guards and the Royal Marines do their job more effectively. The King is the same way. He was bullied for being a bit on the scrawny side...eh, don't mention that I told you this, ok? That's another thing about the Palace: try not to spread too much gossip, it can get you in a lot of trouble. Anyway, he worked hard to gain the respect of the Guard and went through a formal military training."

"Very manly of him." Amy smiled, "Better than sitting back on a silk pillow while others do all the work."

"It was mostly a gesture, but it got some of _his_ bullies off his back-especially when he showed how smart he could be. He's a nice man, Amy."

"Then why is he taking us away from our home? I know it's not much out here, but we have each other and we have our freedom."

"If I know Max, then there's a lot he isn't telling me. So let's keep it at that. Think of this as a chance to experience new places, meet new people. Just guard you heart, Amy. At the Palace, there will be a whole new world opened up to you as a young woman. You'll have access to future opportunities, careers, or paths in life that many in the normal population don't have the chance to access. We're just surviving out here, but there we will live a life of privilege. I suggest you do the same thing I did when I befriended Max in the military: treat people how you want to be treated, find a need and fill that need. You know what you're best at doing. All you have to do is find out where you can put that to use and the whole world opens itself up to you."

"Is that why you adopted us?" Amy asked, "A new experience? Didn't adopting us take you away from the Palace and everything you wanted to do with your own life?"

Chuck thought for a moment, as Amy's words hit home harder than her fists ever could, "Yes, I did. I left behind the chance to do everything I wanted. Because when my heart when out to you kids, I wanted for you to have a normal life more than anything I ever wanted for myself. That's true love, Amy. You'll get to meet boys at the Palace, too, so keep that in mind when you meet them."

Amy just blushed, "Okay, Uncle Chuck, I'm totally not having this conversation with you, okay? I can take care of myself against boys _and_ girls."

"I know you can, sweetie. Come here." He wrapped his arms around her, feeling that when she finally let go, he would never hug her the same again.

XxXxXxXxXxX

It took three days for the preparations to leave their only home to be complete. Charles fought against Sonic's sour feelings about riding in a moving hovervan, but their possessions couldn't be moved by hand. And since moving to Mobotropolis consisted of passing other people, Sonic was doubly angered to find he couldn't pass the time by running freely while they rode in the moving van.

The Hedgehogs thought they would be moving most of Uncle Chuck's computers, but he surprised them when he asked Amy to chunk them into the bottom pit of the crevasse where their house was located.

"What about all your work?" Amy asked.

"I only need the data." Charles said, patted a Datapad handily. "And it's already taken care of. I've wiped the computers. They're obsolete anyway. As Minister of Science, I'll have access to the latest technology anyway."

Amy shrugged and did as told, chucking the old computer towers into the endless pit that would swallow the unwary.

Sonic commented as they moved the last of their things that it looked lifeless and empty, "It feels like we're never coming back."

"We're not." Shadow said. "You really think the King will stand for letting Uncle Chuck out of his sight again? Look at the trouble he went through to get Uncle Chuck back. I'm surprised he didn't come himself."

"He could have at least sent the Princess." Sonic smirked, "You ever see pics of that babe?"

"You know damn well I have." Shadow snarled as he grabbed his lone box of possessions.

"Come on, you can't tell me you don't think she's a babe."

Shadow muttered, "I'm not partial to brown fur."

"Pfft. You're too damn picky."

The hedgehog teens would have new furniture and beds in their rooms, but most of the packing was sentimental things: favorite desks, pictures, Uncle Chuck's favorite armchair, equipment that couldn't afford to be left behind, bits of charming, homely odds and ends that made their sandpit house a real home. The rest would be left behind.

When the final day came, they piled into the Hovervan, six seats deep, and drove casually away from the home that had been theirs since they were children.

At five hundred feet away, Charles stopped the van and picked up a transmission datapad. He typed in a few commands and they all looked back as their house was rocked by a series of explosions from within. The house collapsed in on itself and when the dust settled, it was impossible to tell a house had even been there.

The kids watched until the site of their home was gone, leaving a sinking feeling in the pit of their stomachs-the kind of anxious feeling one got when facing real, permanent change in one's life.

It was not the only time during that trip that they had a sinking feeling either. An hour out from the house, they passed Devil's Canyon. They nervously held their breath as Charles took a smoother, longer route away from the canyon towards Urbantropolis. Silently, as one, the teens let their anxious breath out. If Uncle Chuck had gone the other direction, they would have run directly into the fallen body of a slain dragon and that was not something any of them were looking forward to trying to explain.

XxXxXxXxXxX

The Barren Wastes, thought by most to be useless and uninhabitable, did harbor a small population of hardy, resourceful souls. Though none were openly hostile to authority or the monarchy, many were people who lived a simple life and preferred the solitude and personal freedom that came with living in the Wastes.

It was settled on the Western-most edge of the Acorn Kingdom, where the endless barren wasteland eventually gave way to great crags that couldn't be traversed and electrical storms that couldn't be navigated. It was as great a magical and physical barrier that could exist without being man made.

The closest city to the Waste's was Urbantropolis and glamorous it was not. However, the city was not an endless wasteland of dust and rocks, so it was akin to a funhouse for the teens, who had been taking a number of opportunities to sneak out and broach the city in the past few years. If Uncle Chuck knew the truth, they would have been in far more trouble than just a mere reprimand.

Sonic's running had given them away, but they all went and had spent a number of weekends in the city by themselves when Uncle Chuck thought they were spending the night at friends houses. What was a whole day's ride by hovervan took Sonic an hour or so to reach. The kids, whether Chuck liked it or not, were city regulars.

Uncle Chuck pulled into hotel and the teen piled out and proceeded to settle in for the night. They traded idle chit-chat, ate some delivery pizza, and settled down for a movie while they all filed away for bed.

XxXxXxXxX

Sonic crept out of the hotel room as quiet and silent as a mouse wearing mittens. Normally, he was blusterous and not concerned about stealth, but when he made the effort, when he really needed to, he was damn near a ninja. So it surprised him when he got fifty feet from the room and Shadow suddenly teleported right in front of him, arms crossed and a scowl fixed on his face.

"The hell are you going?" he demanded to know.

Sonic held up his hands in defense, "Jeeze, Shadow. Give a guy a heart attack why dontcha? Look, I got some business to take care of, okay? Get lost."

"You're not going to party, are you?"

"No. Even if I was, so what? All we're doing is driving tomorrow. So what if I sleep the whole trip? Besides, this is something the main hedgehog has to do solo, so no teleport-ninja-sneaking-following, okay?"

Shadow narrowed his gaze at Sonic, "What are you up to?

Sonic only held up a finger, "My business. Now go back to bed, Shadow. It's not any trouble, but it's something I got to do, okay?"

Shadow watched Sonic for a moment and nodded. Sonic wouldn't be serious unless something really was serious. His brother never asked for much and never gave him a reason to suspect his motives. If he had something he didn't want Shadow knowing about, so be it. It wasn't as if Shadow himself didn't keep things from the rest of his family.

With a near silent _paf_! Shadow disappeared and Sonic was left alone. He took off at a less-than-sonic speed, taking care not to leave too much wind or noise in his wake.

XxXxXxXxX

A few minutes later, Sonic raced into Sol Park, approaching a small copse of trees from which came an orange glow. He stomped through a worn trail in the bushes and emerged on the other side to a small clearing. At the center stood a tall bonfire and surrounding the bonfire was a gaggle of early to late teenagers of various species, all chatting excitedly amongst each other about one thing or another.

Instead of announcing himself to them as was his usual custom, Sonic skirted the edge of the clearing and approached a figure sprawled out on the grass, staring at the sky. Her bright yellow fur stood in contrast to the dark green grass and her amethyst hair, long and in flowing waves, spread out underneath her lithe body like a great cape.

He walked up towards the top of her head and bent over at the waist, staring down into her emerald eyes and smiled, "I don't know whatcha lookin' at, but it can't be half as good as yours truly."

She gasped as a wide smile spread over her face and she scrambled to her feet and leapt into the air. Sonic was quick to catch her in his arms. She smelled of wildberries and lilac, an intoxicating aroma that was unique about her. It encircled his senses as she encircled her arms around his neck and drew him towards her until their lips met.

For a long time, Sonic stood there, holding the beautiful girl in his arms, drinking in her presence as their lips clashed together. When they finally parted, he set her down on her feet.

"Nice to see you too, Mina." Sonic smiled at her.

She squeezed her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "I missed you so much, Sonic!" She squealed. "Why didn't you send me a message that you were coming to town tonight?"

"Uh, kinda had a last minute change of plans." said Sonic as Mina's hands dropped into his. Mina was Urbantropolis born-and-breed, lived in the city her whole life. She was one of several mongoose families that had migrated to the city generations ago during the Great Exodus.

She had been Sonic's girlfriend for almost a year.

"Well, I'm just glad to see you." She said, her smile beaming at him. "You wanna stay here or go get a bite to eat or what?"

"Let's just take a walk." Sonic said. He led Mina out of the clearing and back into parts of the park that were inhabited solely by themselves.

After a few minutes, Mina's curiosity couldn't keep itself down. "Something's wrong, isn't it? You hate walking. What are you doing?"

Sonic cursed silently. She knew him really well. Granted, he wasn't a hard hedgehog to read, but even so, it was grating to know that one look and she could tell what he was thinking.

"It's...well, something's come up, Mina." Sonic sighed as they paused at the top of a bridge that stretched over a lake. Below them, a gaggle of sleeping swans were nestled in the waterside bushes. How did he tell the beautiful girl he wasn't coming back?

Mina waited patiently. She could tell he was devastated by something.

"I have...I have to leave." He spat it out.

Mina's bubbly, cheerful demeanor fell and with it, her face seemed to drop hearing him say those words. "Leave? Leave where? Why?"

Sonic kicked angrily at a post on the bridge. "Dammit! My Uncle Chuck works for the King and the King called him back into service, so we're all moving to Mobotropolis."

The words he spoke took a moment to sink in and when they did, Mina's heart landed somewhere in the vicinity of her left boot. She took hold of Sonic's arm and drew close to him, as if he would vanish if she blinked. "No. No, Sonic...you can't go."

"I got no choice." Sonic said, "Royal Law says I can't leave what's considered my home until I'm 20 or it nullifies the adoption treaty Uncle Chuck signed. Which means..."

"You'll be a ward of the State." Mina finished for him, "And that means you'd get drafted into the Royal Marines and get shipped off to war or go to jail if you refuse."

"Worse." Sonic sighed as they continued walking again, "It would nullify my bros and my sis, too. We'd all get shipped off and drafted and who knows if we ever see each other again. I just can't leave, I have to obey the law for another three years."

The two of them walked into a soft patch of grass and followed a trail off the beaten path, one hidden from view from the public walkways. Together, they paused and looked up at the stars together, silent save the sound of their breathing.

Sonic heard Mina sniffle and looked down to see her wiping tears from her eyes.

"It's not fair." She said, burying her face into his shoulders. Sonic held the girl to him, trying to think of something to say, but words failed him. He was always a big talker, but suddenly he couldn't find a thing to say to soothe her. He just held her as she cried over and over, "It's not fair. It's not fair!"

Sonic's mental fumbling reached for a solution that wouldn't lead to Mina's heart being shattered into a thousand pieces. He saw her infrequently over the last year, having met her at a dance club. Her fur and hair had caught the multi-colored lights in ways that made her truly stand out. She danced with an energetic assurance that just drew him to her.

Mina had been a secret he'd kept from even his brothers, though they suspected he was seeing a girl-or girls-on the side. She was nice and fun and every time she saw him, he lit up her life. And now he had to be the bad guy and break her heart by leaving.

"Maybe you could come with me." He blurted out, no thinking.

"I can't. I couldn't do that to mom and dad." Mina sniffled, wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, "Besides, I'm only 15. I'm not nearly old enough to get an Emancipation License and even if I could, there has to be some kind of grievance against my parents. I just can't do that to them."

Sonic nodded, lowering his head until their foreheads touched gently, "I wish I could do something, Mina. But I'm not a hero, I'm just the fastest hedgehog on Mobius."

Mina threw her arm around him and hugged his neck. She planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. "You'll always be a hero to me, Sonic."

Mina drew Sonic to her lips and held onto him tightly, as though he might vanish the instant she let go. He was here and he was all she wanted, all the thought about in the past few months. He had dashed into her life from out of nowhere and now he was about to dash right back out as if he had never been there.

She had never met a boy as exciting, funny, and dashing as Sonic-even before she knew about his super speed. Hardly a ladies' man, Sonic was more full of life and energy than anyone she had ever known and the ways his kisses left tingles down her spine was not something she wanted to give up.

As the minutes passed into the still of the night, Mina and Sonic shared the next hours together, each one desperate for the others embrace. The only sound in the park was the chirping of crickets and the sound of their kisses as they lay in the grass.

Sonic felt a tug on his arm and yielded cautiously as Mina began to slowly pull Sonic on top of her, spreading her legs as she did so.

Sonic paused, "Mina...We've never-"

She silenced him with a finger to his lips. "Please." She begged, "I want it to be you."

Sonic felt a nervous knot in his stomach, but when he saw the gorgeous girl in front of him, her eyes pleading, her body begging, he felt his will draining and under the night of the full moon, he made love with the girl who cared for him more than anyone else did or ever had. She whispered his name over and over, hoping beyond hope that this night would never end.

But end it did and as they lay together in the grass, basking in the afterglow, Sonic planted a small kiss on her lips as sleep took Mina and within five steps he had raced out of her life forever.

XxXxXxXxXxX

When Sonic got back to the hotel, Shadow wasn't waiting for him. Shadow always waited and scolded him or bragged about being right about something he told Sonic not to do. Tonight, Shadow was nowhere to be found. Meaning he had probably followed Sonic.

Sure enough, he saw the outline of Shadow's quills as he stood with his back against a nearby potted plant. Anyone else besides Sonic would have missed him, but Sonic knew how to spot his brother when he was hiding. His eyes met Shadow's eyes.

"Well?" Sonic spat defensively, "Got something you want to say?"

Shadow only stared ahead, "No."

Sonic seemed taken back, but let it go and went inside to collapsed on his bed. Shadow continued to stare into the night, seeing dawn's approaching glow in the distant. When Sonic was well out of earshot, Shadow said to himself, "I'm sorry, brother."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

It took a solid week of traveling, but eventually the tattered old moving van arrived at the outskirts of the Great Plains. And none too soon for the kids. Sonic was so restless that every stretch of road without a significant population was deemed a safe zone for Sonic to at least go out and stretch his legs. Shadow would join him, teleporting along the path of the road so to ensure they always were in sight. Silver couldn't float himself that fast yet, so he made due to enjoy the extra elbow room in the van. Amy was the only one who was content to lean back with the window open and enjoy the scenery.

The change from a barren rocky landscape to a green, lush forest was an exciting one and the hedgehogs were nowhere short of amazed at what the world looked like when you had more than rocks and boulders from one end of the horizon to the other. The air was crisper and Sonic remarked how easier it was to breath, how the air didn't feel oppressive. At one point, when he was dashing next to the van, they came over a bridge and below lay a clear, sparkling lake.

"What? Lake?! Totally going fishing here when we get settled in." He declared.

"Probably won't be a problem." Chuck said. "We're almost to the city. Just over that hill. So go ahead and get in, Sonic."

Sonic complied and leapt into the moving vehicle. A moment after he closed the door, Shadow materialized next to him. "Mobotropolis is just over that hill." Shadow remarked.

"Wake me when we get to our house." Sonic said, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

Shadow nudged him with his elbow. "I already ported over the hill and saw it myself. Trust me, you don't want to miss this."

The van traveled up the slow, forested slope of the hill fencing the lake. When they came to the crest of the hill, the great expanse of plains gave way to a massive, sprawling metropolis that stretched for miles in both directions. It was a low-slung city, with most buildings not rising past five or six stories. The tallest building in the city was seated in the middle, a distant pillar in the shape of a creamy- off-white teardrop.

"Why are all the buildings so low?" Silver asked. "Urbantropolis looks much bigger than this."

"It's a Royal Degree." Uncle Chuck explained, "When Mobotropolis was first becoming a major city, the king at the time decreed that no city building would rise past half the height of the royal castle. Well, the castle itself is gone, but the modern palace still upholds that ruling and it is thirty stories tall. But, since the old decree applied to the castle-which was only ten stories-most buildings are rather wide, as opposed to tall."

"Oh boy. Architecture. My favorite subject." Sonic said, blowing a raspberry with his tongue. "I suppose the monorails are cool. Don't have those in Urbantropolis."

"No, indeed." Uncle Chuck smiled, "It's a marvel of modern technology. Clean, quick, free transport for the whole city. Its design is one of the most complex additions ever made to the city. Its design is nothing short of a miracle of science."

"Really? You seem to know an awful lot about it." Amy asked.

Uncle Chuck smiled and cast a sly look at Amy, "I should. I designed it."

As they pulled into the city, it became clear that this was no gritty urban metropolis. The streets were immaculately clean and the streets were spacious and sparsely occupied by cars.

"Not a lot of traffic." Shadow commented.

"Everyone uses the monorail." Uncle Chuck said, "Most folks live and work in the city. Hardly anyone owns a vehicle."

Most of the buildings were a creamy off-white color or a muted, light grayish color, making the city look less like a sprawling metropolis and more like a massive, immaculately designed park. Plants and trees were everywhere, as if nature were popping up through the cracks. Flowers, ferns, trees, plants of all kinds dotted every bit of landscape. The buildings themselves seemed designed with window planters and spots of hanging ferns all over the place. Stores, shopping strips, boutiques, food vendors, business of all kinds dotted the cityscape.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Sonic said, plowing over Shadow to plant his face against the window, "I see CHILI DOGS!" He licked his lips as they passed an expansive two story restaurant that prominently displayed a chili-dog on the sign that read "CHUCK'S CHILI DOGS!"

"Get off! You're drooling on me!" Shadow cried.

"Glory be, I was wondering if my old place was still standing." Chuck exclaimed.

"Uncle Chuck, you used to own that place?" Amy asked.

"That's why my name's on the sign, m'girl." Chuck smiled fondly, "It was the business that put me through college. Passed on to me from my father, it was his diner before I took it. You don't think I got good at making chili dogs just on accident, did you?"

"I figured a guy smart as you could make anything." Sonic declared.

"The chili dog recipe was passed on to me as well." Chuck said, "But when I decided to move out of the city to raise you youngins', I gave the place to my old pal Boomer, though I haven't kept in touch with him in some time. He must be running it since he kept the name the same."

"This place looks like a brand new bathroom that someone decided to thrown a gardening class in." Shadow said, "Who takes care of all these plants?"

"Landscaping is big business here." Uncle Chuck said, "People have decent careers and end up retiring just taking care of ten city blocks. I told you kids, this city is different. Not just how it looks. We're at the center of power and commerce for the entire kingdom. The other kingdoms visit here regularly. Some of their dignitaries are practically permanent residents of the Palace. Speaking of which…"

Uncle Chuck slowed their moving van and the five hedgehogs gaped in awe at the Palace. It had looked impressive from a distance, but now it looked immense and imposing. The massive structure was not much taller than the average building in Urbantropolis, but whereas those buildings were rectangular in shape, this was a teardrop shape with a bulbous protrusion in the middle.

"The big ten-story structure and stadium to the right is the Royal Academy." Chuck said, pointing it out, "It's the highest seat of learning in the entire kingdom."

"Why not the whole planet?" Amy asked.

"I'm afraid the Echidnas on the Floating Island are several generations ahead of us." Chuck said, "They're the smartest creatures on this planet. I took an aptitude test to compare myself against an echidna education when I was in my prime and I just barely had my head above water when it was finished. In their eyes, I would have been a good C student, but not much better. The application process for the Academy is brutal and I will warn you that all of you will be applying to go to school there. It will be keeping you very busy in the days ahead."

"I thought you said we were gonna go to school there anyway." Silver commented.

"Nobody goes there without earning it and, yes, your relationship to me is a credential they absolutely will take into account. However, should you fail to score in accordance with their standards, they won't accept you. And since you're _my_ kids and _I_ educated you, I expect you all to do your best take it seriously. Got it? Sonic?"

Sonic gave a thumbs up, "No prob, Unc. The main hedgehog will ace that sucker."

"What about the cathedral back behind it?" Silver asked.

"That's St. Aurora's, the head of the Aurora Faith. Very nice people, hardly politically motivated. The structure to the left of the Palace is the Royal Ballroom, it's mostly for special functions like the Royal Gala, the Queen's Ball, and so forth. The Palace has an unbelievable housekeeping staff. Last time I was here, there were several generations of same families working together."

"So where are we staying?" Silver asked.

"At the Ministry Compound, where the Ministers and their families live." Chuck drove them up to the twenty foot walls that surrounded the Royal Compound. He flashed the guard at the gate an ID and identified himself, where the guard-dressed in an immaculate blue uniform with red trim-snapped a salute to him and directed him where to drive.

"They saluted you." Silver noted.

"Duh." Sonic replied, "Unc is an important dude, now. I bet they salute us, too."

"Not until you earn it." Uncle Chuck laughed.

"I like those uniforms." Amy said, "Very dashing."

"Well, you'll see a lot of them." Chuck said, "Probably more than you'll like. Like I said, the Guard are everywhere. Look, up there is the Royal Seal." He pointed to a golden acorn emblazoned on a red crest against a blue banner.

Once inside, the four teens saw that the Royal Palace was a good half mile from the walls themselves and the buildings surrounding it were spaciously apart, though shuttles and people went to and fro in a much faster pace than the city outside. The compound itself was spacious, several miles in length and width and giving those who lived and worked there plenty of room.

"Leaving the Royal Compound can be a real pain in the quills." Chuck explained. "They try to have as much accommodation here as possible so people aren't inconvenienced too much. There's plenty to eat here, plenty to see, the Great Library, things like that."

The teens all shared a similar look. They had no intention of going to any Library for fun. They didn't tell Uncle Chuck-nor did he suspect what they thought-but they knew there had to be a vibrant nightlife to this city, even if Uncle Chuck wasn't going to point it out to them. It was just a matter of when they could set foot outside the walls and set out into the city on their own.

The Ministry Compound, as it was, was an immaculate series of monumental living homes, condos, and apartments connected to the Palace itself via a series of connected walkways and bridges from the backside of the Palace. Chuck drove them to an expansive condo unit just outside the main palace and off to the side from the main Palace traffic. He pulled up and brought the moving hover van to a halt. "Here we are, kids."

"Where's our place?" Silver asked.

"This _is_ our place." Chuck said, "Our rooms are up top. I have my own lab on the bottom level, but the top levels are ours."

"No way." Sonic said, "This has gotta be for a few more people, at least. No way all this is all just for us!"

Uncle Chuck chucked at Sonic's declaration. "You kids haven't experienced the perks of a royal position. Come on, let's go in." The family of five took a small ramp up to the front entrance of the residence and Charles paused at the door. "Uh-oh. I don't have the card key."

He turned a solution or two around in his head when there came a meek shout from behind. The hedgehogs turned to see a young teenage vulpine dressed in a royal uniform-a royal blue with red trim on the seams and sleeves. He looked to be only a few years junior to Sonic and the other teens and when he finally came up to them, they saw that he was at least a head shorter than everyone save for Amy.

They also noticed that he had two twin tails. Strange.

The young vulpine heaved for breath and struggled to catch himself, gasping, "Minister…Charles…I…So sorry…"

"Calm down, young man." Chuck said, "Catch your breath."

"What, we get our own servants, too?" Shadow said with a snicker.

"No, this young man is a page." Uncle Chuck explained, "They run errands for ministry personnel. Alright, then, young man, how can I help you?"

The young man straightened up and saluted, "Sorry sir, I was only notified of your arrival a few minutes ago. I'm here with your residence keys." He handed out a set of small metal cards to Uncle Chuck, who distributed them amongst the teenagers. "Do _not_ lose these." Uncle Chuck said with a stern tone.

Young Miles immediately dashed in front of them standing in front of the door. "Oh, I have to formally welcome you back to the Palace, Minister. I'm Royal Page Miles Prower and I'm assigned to be your attendant for the day."

"Prower?" Chuck said with a slowly spreading grin, "You're Amadeus' and Rosemary's boy?"

Miles looked unsure of the warm question that was being asked of him and he nodded, "Y-yes sir."

"I knew your parents when I worked here some fifteen years ago." Uncle Chuck grinned, patting Miles on the shoulder, "You look much like your father. We grew up in the Palace together. Is he still a well-to-do Royal Guard?"

"Sir, he's Captain of the Guard."

"Oh!" Chuck smiled wide, "I knew he would be, one day. But, what about Captain D'Colette? He was Captain when I left."

"Sir, General D'Colette is Minister of War now."

"General?!" Uncle Chuck gaped, "I _have _been gone a long time. Sorry, m'boy, I'll catch up on the Palace updates later. Right now, we need to get settled in. Oh, before I forget, these are my kids: Sonic, Silver, Shadow, and Amy Rose. They should be joining you in the Royal Academy before too long."

"Oh. It's an honor." Miles said, bowing to them.

"Okay, that's enough of _that_." Sonic said, lowering his hands, "No need to bow to us, Tails, we're not royalty."

"Not cool." Shadow stated, "I never did anything to justify getting bowed to. Bow to Amy, she'll like it."

Amy immediately blushed fiercely as Miles aimed his gaze at her, "Shut up, both of you. But they're right, Miles, you don't have to bow to us. In fact, I insist you _not_ bow."

Miles nodded, "As you wish. I'll arrange for movers to have your things relocated into your residence for today, but I suggest you see the tailor immediately for tonight's Royal Gala. Since you arrived on such short notice, the Chamberlin is going to schedule your announcement and arrival ceremony in with the annual Gala, so you must find proper attire."

"No prob, Tails." Sonic said, "I got a nice collared shirt I can wear."

"Uh…I don't…" Miles stammered.

"Sonic, don't call him that, he probably hates being called names." Amy said, nudging Sonic with her elbow, a casual shove that would have toppled Sonic head over heels if she had shoved any harder.

"No problem, my lady." Miles said, "I actually…truth be told…don't care for my name all that much. You can call me Tails. Er, that is, if you want to."

"Only if you don't call her pinky pie." Silver laughed, then immediately stopped when Amy threatened him with her fist.

"Kids, we have to get fitted for suits. The Royal Gala is a special occasion. All the ministers and dignitaries will be there. You say he's going to commence with my appointment at the Gala?" He asked, to which Tails nodded. "Yes, we need some suits. This is a black tie event, kids. Sonic, a collared-shirt isn't going to cut it. Mil-er, Tails, would you escort us to the closest tailor as soon as you arrange the movers?"

Tails nodded and dipped in a bow and immediately ran off, leaving the hedgehogs at their doorstep. Sonic chuckled to himself, "Is that all he does all day?"

"A Royal Page is an honorary position." Uncle Chuck said, "They work hard to become Royal Guards or other positions of note throughout the Palace. It's almost expected of children of the royalty and the aristocracy, so don't treat them poorly because odds are one day you'll be working with them…or for them."

"Black suits and ties." Shadow sneered, "I hate this already."

"Yeah, Uncle Chuck." Silver complained, "Why do we have to get all trussed up for these royal types? Can't we just be ourselves?"

"This is a different world, Silver." Uncle Chuck said, "Your going to have to get used to a new standard of normal. I suggest you kids try and enjoy yourselves, take in the new culture, get used to how things work, because we live here now and we'll be seeing these folks every day now. If you can keep your mind open and adapt well, you'll find there can be a place of honor and dignity for you in the Palace proper. I don't know what you kids intend for your lives or what careers you want, but at the Palace, there's no limit to what you can accomplish. Now, let's go pick out rooms, shall we?"

XxXxXxXxXxX

Outside, a small figure was darting in-between bushes, following a young woman-a rabbit in a homely dress-as she approached the Hedgehog household

XxXxXxXxXxX

Once inside, the hedgehog teens were overwhelmed. The expansive living room was elaborately furnished with a beige and off-white color scheme that made their living area look very modern and upscale. It matched the city itself and the Palace very well. Though Chuck thought the look could be changed, there wasn't an interior decorating bone in any of his kids' body.

"Look at the size of this tv!" Silver gawked, "92 inches! High def triple-laz 3046 ip! This thing is more high definition than real life!"

"I'm totally digging this couch!" Sonic said, throwing himself over the back edge and landing sprawled across the surface of the couch. "I could fit at least ten honies on this thing! I might even have one to spare for you, Silver."

"I notice you didn't include me on your "honey sharing list." Shadow said as he approached the expansive open window that looked out into the Royal Garden that was, apparently, their new backyard. Outside, it was a menagerie of hedges, flower bushes, and immaculately kept shapes and figures carved into hedges. Dotted throughout the gardens were benches, fountains, and bird baths. It was serene and beautiful, a far cry from the Barren Wastes they grew up in.

"I didn't include you because you'll just scare them off with your grumpiness."

"All these sugary sweet colors are going to rot my teeth and give me diabetes." Shadow growled to himself, looking at the garden.

Amy marched up a set of stairs off to the corner and found a bedroom with a corner window facing the Palace and Garden. She gasped in awe, looking at the view with adoration. She had a room to herself, thanks to the generosity of her brothers, and it was the only room in the house with a window. This room felt so much like her old room with its small stoop right before the window. She could sit and stare out the window just like back home. The sloping ceiling felt spacious and unique and she loved the feel of it. It was also set apart from any other room, so she basically had a wing to herself next to a spare room that seemed more suited to a study than living in it.

"This is _my _room." She whispered to herself.

"Man, we gonna have to get a lot more furniture." Sonic whined. "We barely got anything to go in these rooms."

"Well, that should be fine." Said Uncle Chuck, "We'll have a lot more disposable income now."

There came a buzzing sound and the hedgehogs looked around. Uncle Chuck answered their unspoken question, "It's the doorbell."

Sonic was up and about to blast off for the door when Shadow teleported in front of him with a hand held up, "Not supposed to use powers, remember?"

"What about you?" Sonic protested.

"I have discretion; you don't." Shadow said, calmly, slowly, walking to the door,. He opened it to find a young woman, a cream-colored rabbit in a homely uniform dress, standing before him. Her eyes widened in surprise for a moment and then she immediately replaced her shock with a warm smile.

"Is the master of the house in?" She asked.

"Er…" Shadow just cast a glance back, "Yeah, I suppose. Can I help you?"

Uncle Chuck rolled up next to Shadow and waved the young woman in. As she passed Shadow, his head snapped around at the brief, barely visible movement in the bushes just out of the corner of his eye. He closed the door, but made a note of it and began to slink away into a hallway where he wouldn't be seen.

Uncle Chuck approached the young woman and asked, "Yes, young lady? Can I help you?"

She bowed slightly, hands kept folded in front of her, "Sir, my name is Vanilla and I am the housekeeper assigned to your residence. As you are of a Ministry position, Sir Charles, your residence is assigned a live-in housekeeper. I have a decade of housekeeping experience and have served two Ministers in their household."

Uncle Chuck swallowed. On the one hand, he was thrilled that someone could keep up the house for a change instead of him always cooking and cleaning. But then again, he didn't need someone being witness to any of his kids use of powers. Now they would be unable to use their abilities at home. It would drive them mad. He saw Sonic and Silver exchanging looks of uncertainty. Amy came down the stairs from her room, listening as the new visitor explained herself."

"Ahem, well, Miss Vanilla, that's very generous of his majesty, however, my kids and I are rather…personal folks. We value our privacy, you see. Plus, I'm a bit more of a humble man than most Palace personnel. I believe in self-reliance and I would feel extraordinarily guilty having a paid housekeepr cleaning up after myself and my rambunctious bunch of teenagers."

"Oh come on, Unc." Sonic protested, "She ain't gonna see nothing she's not supposed to or anything like that." He winked and Uncle Chuck, his way to telling Charles that he understood the fear of having someone who wasn't familiar with them hanging around. "I mean, how are you gonna be Minister _and_ keep up the house?"

"You kids know darn well how to fix your own meals and clean up!" Charles sniped.

"But Unc," Said Silver, "You said we would be busy with the Academy and the Palace lifestyle and all that jazz. You're not married and its not like you have a wife to do all these things for you. We're all gonna be busy. Besides, it'd be a shame to waste that perfectly nice housekeeper quarters below. It's got two bedrooms and a bath."

Vanilla grinned, "I assure you, Sir Charles, I will make an excellent servant."

"Don't use that word." Charles said, "I'm not a slaveowner. And…why did you call me 'Sir'. I'm not a knight."

Vanilla's eyes popped open in surprise, "Oh, I beg your mercy, sir. I did not mean to place a title on you, only that I was unsure of your bearing in the time before your ceremony. It's quite the conversation about the Palace. Those in the know have been excitedly expecting your arrival."

Chuck grumbled under his breath. Great, now he had a Palace gossip queen living in his residence. All he needed was for his business and the business of his kids to be part of the Palace Gossip Machine. Still, no matter how hard he fought it, it was likely to happen anyway. Charles recognized the surprised look in her eyes, the way she stared at them.

Sonic caught her staring at him and he fired back with a curt, "What? What're you staring at? Stop that!"

"Apologies, young sir." She said, quickly bowing her head and averting her eyes.

"Sonic, be nice." Uncle Chuck said, "These folks…I doubt they've ever seen a hedgehog before. Am I right, miss Vanilla?"

She nodded, looking up, "Not in all my life have I seen one. You are the first, sir."

"Oh." Sonic blushed, embarrassed, "Sorry, miss Vannie."

"I didn't think we were so rare." Silver noted.

"Hedgehog blood traces back to the heart of the Karpathian Empire, which is the heart of the Iron Empire now." Uncle Chuck explained, "We have always been rare, unique furs in this world, kids. Best get used to a few stares."

There was a commotion outside the front door and Shadow came in with a flailing bundle of arms and legs in his grasp. He stomped up to the rest of them and said, "I found her snooping around the bushes outside our front door."

He set a young rabbit, nearly identical to Vanilla, on her feet and the young rabbit sheepishly lowered her head.

Vanilla sighed in exasperation and tucked her hands on her hips, "Cream, you are _supposed_ to be at school!"

"I wanted to see where we'll be living." she said meekly.

Vanilla sighed again, "Goodsir Charles, I apologize. This is my only child, Cream. She was not supposed to be with me today."

"Will she be living here, too?" Amy asked, stepping forward. Cream lifted her head, meeting Amy's eyes and showing a measure that she was not as intimidated as she had been when Shadow had jumped out of nowhere to grab her.

"Y-yes, young mistress." Vanilla said, "She is the reason I was chosen to live in this household, because the servant's…er, the housekeeping quarters have two bedrooms for a single mothers or small families in the housekeeping staff. I was going to inform you before she came. Cream is my only child and I am not married, so it would be just us in the quarters."

"I just don't know." Uncle Chuck said, unsure of what to think or how to proceed, but Amy stepped forward and shook Cream's hand.

"I'm Amy Rose. And you're name is Cream?"

Cream nodded, "And this is cheese." She said, holding up a small doll. "I'm seven."

Amy absolutely beamed. She turned to Uncle Chuck, "They are both welcome in our home, Uncle Chuck. Don't send them away, that's just inhospitable. Besides, you need to take a break from cooking and cleaning for a while, you've got enough to do being the new Minister."

"But…" Uncle Chuck looked between his kids, all of whom were giving him a silent approval in the form of a nod or smile. Defeated, he sighed and nodded, "I suppose you're right."

Sonic tossed Vanilla a thumbs-up. "Welcome to the Hedgehog Household, Vannie."

"Come on, Cream." Amy said, her grin splitting her face, "You gotta see my room. I'm gonna need some help decorating it." She took Cream by the hand and together they ran up the stairs to her room, laughing.

"_Well," _Chuck thought, _"At least she has a friend."_

XxXxXxXxX

**Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to continue this. I know it's a bit of a filler chapter, but I felt like doing some world building here, fleshing out what life at the Palace is going to be like. Next chapter we'll meet some more royal types and hopefully get some intrigue started. Later all! ****J**


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